Apparatus for counting and separating nested articles of manufacture

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is apparatus for counting and separating nested articles moving along a predetermined path. It includes a shaft which rotates and is adapted to be moved laterally along its longitudinal axis between a counting position and a separating position. A counting wheel is secured to the shaft and it has teeth about the rim. All the teeth have about equal height, but some are of longer breadth than others. With the shaft in the counting position, individual teeth engage individual article lips to count the moving articles. This rotates the wheel and shaft. Means monitor the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when a given number of articles have been counted and when an adjacent &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;short&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; tooth and &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;long&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; tooth each engage article lips, these means move the shaft to the separating position. This disengages the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;short&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; tooth from the article lip but maintains engagement between the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;long&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; tooth and other article lips. Thus a predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and have been counted. Means then separate the counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles while the shaft and wheel are in the separating position.

United States Patent 1 Neil [451 Sept. 4, 1973 APPARATUS FOR COUNTING AND SEPARATING NESTED ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE [75] Inventor: Peter C. Neil, Fullerton, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Standard Oil Company, Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Apr. 7, 1972 21j Appl. No.: 242,109

Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant ExaminerGene A. Church AttorneyArthur G. Gilkes et al.

[57] ABSTRACT Disclosed is apparatus ,for counting and separating nested articles moving along a predetermined path. It includes a shaft which rotates and is adapted to be moved laterally along its longitudinal axis between a counting position and a separating position. A counting wheel is secured to the shaft and it has teeth about the rim. All the teeth have about equal height, but some are of longer breadth than others. With the shaft in the counting position, individual teeth engage individual article lips to count the moving articles. This rotates the wheel and shaft. Means monitor the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when a given number of articles have been counted and when an adjacent short tooth and long tooth each engage article lips, these means move the shaft to the separating position. This disengages the short tooth from the article lip but maintains engagement between the long tooth and other article lips. Thus a predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and have been counted. Means then separate the counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles while the shaft and wheel are in the separating position.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED SEP 4 I975 SHEET'E 0F 2 APPARATUS FOR COUNTING AND SEPARATING NESTED ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the thermoforming process for making articles such as cups or the like, the articles are nested together and move to a counting station where they are counted and separated into stacks before packaging. It is important to get an accurate count and to do so as rapidly as possible. Frequently, however, using conventional counting and separating equipment, the count is inaccurate. It is the objective of my invention to provide a counting and separating apparatus which is an improvement over conventional equipment. My apparatus is capable of providing a more accurate count and it can do so more rapidly than prior art equipment.

Other advantages of my invention will be apparent upon considering the attached drawings and accompanying description of my invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view, with sections broken away, of my counting and separating apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, with sections broken away, of my counting and separating apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, with sections broken away, of my counting and separating apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmented view in side elevation of the counting wheel engaging the lips of articles being counted and separated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the principal component of my counter-separator is wheel 12. This wheel 12 includes a series of long teeth 14 extending across the entire breadth of the wheels rim l6, and a series of short teeth 18 which extend only across a portion of rim 16. These short teeth 18 are formed by cutting away a section of the wheels perimeteg-providing cavities 20. Adjacent at least one of these cavities is nut 25. The number of nuts in the side of wheel 12 opposite cavities 20 controls the count. This will be described in detail below.

Wheel 12 is mounted through coupling 24 to hollow shaft 26. The hollow portion of shaft 26 communicates with ports 28 in long teeth 14a of wheel 12. These ports I 28 lead through channels 30 into air chamber 32, orifice 34, ring 36 and orifice 38 to hollow shaft 26. Open end 40 of shaft 26 is coupled through valve 27 to gas supply 42. The other end 44 of shaft 26 is connected to two-way air cylinder 46. Shaft 26 is mounted through bearing 48 in U-shaped carrier assembly 50. As shown in FIG. 2, shaft 26 is free to rotate and move along its longitudinal axis between a first or counting position, shown in solid lines, and to second or separating position, shown in dotted lines. Two-way air cylinder 46 controls the position of shaft 26 and wheel [2. Carrier assembly 50 includes air tunnels 51 and 52 which are connected through inlet 54 and valve 56 to gas supply 42. Attached to the lower portion of assembly 50 are hollow tubes 58 and 60 which include jets 62 and 64, respectively. These tubes 58 and 60 are in communication, respectively, with air tunnels 51 and 52.

Assembly 50 is mounted through bushings 68 and 70 on stationary rods 72 and 74. This assembly 50 is free to move from a home position, as shown in solid lines, away from this home position. Cylinder 76 attached to end 78 of assembly 50 serves as an air spring permitting the assembly to be returned to the home position when wheel 12 and shaft 26 are in the counting position.

Control switches 80 and 81 control the position of shaft 26 and wheel 12. Switch 80 is mounted to the side of assembly 50 and its arm 82 monitors the rotation of wheel 12. When arm 82 contacts nut 25 the arm is forced into cavity 20. Stop 83 limits the movement of arm 82. This actuates switch 80 which in turn actuates air cylinder 46. Shaft 26 and wheel 12 are then moved to the separating position. Wheel 12 is held in this position by aligning pin 84 which fits into aligning hole 86 in the wheel. Switch 81 is mounted to the top of assembly 50 and it includes push button 88 which is actuated when wheel 12 is in the separating position. This actuates cylinder 46 to return shaft 26 and wheel 12 to the counting position. Thus the number and spacing of nuts 25 regulate the counting cycle. For example, with one nut there will be a count equal to the number of teeth on wheel 12. With two nuts 180 apart, there will be a count equal to one-half the number of teeth on wheel 12.

In operation, nested containers 90 move along a path past counting wheel 12. Initially wheel 12 and shaft 26 are in the counting position, and the long and short teeth 14 and 18 of wheel 12 engage lips 92 of containers 90 as the containers move. The movement of containers 90 turns wheel 12. Arm 82 rides along the side of wheel 12 until it reaches nut 25. Nut 25 deflects arm 82 moving it into cavity 20. At this point in the wheels cycle, because of the geomtrical configuration of wheel 12, long tooth 14a and short tooth 18a, adjacent teeth, will be engaging adjacent container lips 92a and 92b. With wheel 12 in this position switch 80 is actuated, introducing air through line 45 of air cylinder 46 to force shaft 26 to move to the separating position. This brings ports 28 into overlying position and immediately contacting lip 92b of container 90, and ac- "tuates' switch 81. The actuation of switch 81 opens valves 27 and 56 to permit a jet stream of gas to flow through ports 28 and jets 62 and 64. The gas flowing through ports 28 moves through hollow shaft 26, orifice 38, ring 36, orifice 34 and into air chamber 32. It is forced through channels 30 to provide a blast of air through ports 28 which denests and separates the counted containers 90 from the remainder of the nested containers. Simultaneously, air flows through inlet 54 and tunnels 51 and 52 into tubes 58 and 56. A secondary blast of air then shoots from jets 62 and 64. This secondary air stream assists in the separation of counted containers from uncounted containers.

When wheel 12 and shaft 26 are in the separating position they depress button 88 of switch 81. This provides a signal for air to be introduced through line 47 to cylinder 46, to return wheel 12 and shaft 26 to the counting position. When wheel 12 has been moved to the separating position, arm 82 is withdrawn from cavity 20. It is now free again to ride along the side of wheel 12 until it again hits nut 25 and again is forced into cavity 20, to repeat the counting and separating cycle.

In the separating position, containers 90 engage wheel 12; however, the wheel does not turn. As a consequence, the U-shaped carrier assembly 50 is pushed by moving containers 90 away from its home position, and piston 76a of cylinder 76 is withdrawn from the cylinder. This creates a force within cylinder 16 which urges carrier assembly 50 to move to its home position. However, this assembly 50 is prevented from so moving because containers 90 press against wheel 12 in an opposite direction with a greater force. But as soon as wheel 12 is returned to its counting position it is free to rotate. Containers 90 move past wheel 12 and no longer exert a significant force against the assembly. Now cylinder 90 pulls assembly 50 back to its home position. Because assembly 50 moves with containers 90, containers do not slip beneath counting wheel 12 and the count is accurate. THis and the jet air blast separation of containers are important in obtaining improved accuracy and reliability.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for counting and separating nested articles as such articles move along a predetermined path, comprising a shaft mounted to rotate and move between first and second positions;

a counting wheel secured to the shaft and having teeth about the wheels rim some teeth being long relative to other teeth, and with the shaft in the first position said individual teeth engaging individual article lips to count the moving articles, whereby the wheel and shaft rotate;

means for monitoring the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when an adjacent short tooth and long tooth each engage adjacent article lips, for moving the shaft to the second position to disengage the short tooth from one article lip but maintain engagement between the long tooth and the other article lip, whereby said predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and been counted; and

means for separating the counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles while the shaft is in the second position.

2. The apparatus of .claim 1 where the shaft is mounted on a movable carrier assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separating means includes means for directing a jet stream at the counted articles, said stream separating the counted articles from the remainder of nested articles.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for holding the wheel in a stationary position when the shaft is in the second position.

5. Apparatus for counting and separating nested articles or the like as such articles move along a predetermined path, comprising a movable carrier assembly having a homing position from which it moves and returns, said assembly including a hollow shaft mounted on the assembly so that said shaft rotates and can be moved along its longitudinal axis between first and second positions;

a counting wheel secured to the shaft and having teeth about the wheels rim, some teeth being long relative to other teeth, and when the shaft is in the first position individual teeth engaging individual article lips to count the moving articles, whereby the wheel and shaft rotate;

port means in at least one long tooth that is adjacent a short tooth, said port means being in communication with the hollow shaft;

a supply of compressed gas coupled to one end of the hollow shaft;

means coupled to the other end of the shaft and adapted to move the shaft between the first and second positions;

means for monitoring the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when a predetermined number of articles have been counted by the wheel and when the long tooth with said port means and its adjacent short tooth each engage adjacent article lips, for actuating the shaft moving means to move the shaft from the first position to the second position, whereby said predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and been counted;

means for holding the wheel and shaft stationary while in the second position, whereby the movable carrier assembly leaves home position and moves with the moving nested articles;

means for sensing when the shaft and wheel are in the second position, for releasing from the gas supply a jet stream which flows through the shaft and port means and separates counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles, and for actuating the shaft moving means to move the shaft from the second to the first position; and

means for returning the carrier assembly to home position when the shaft is returned to the first position. 

1. Apparatus for counting and separating nested articles as such articles move along a predetermined path, comprising a shaft mounted to rotate and move between first and second positions; a counting wheel secured to the shaft and having teeth about the wheel''s rim some teeth being long relative to other teeth, and with the shaft in the first position said individual teeth engaging individual article lips to count the moving articles, whereby the wheel and shaft rotate; means for monitoring the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when an adjacent short tooth and long tooth each engage adjacent article lips, for moving the shaft to the second position to disengage the short tooth from one article lip but maintain engagement between the long tooth and the other article lip, whereby said predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and been counted; and means for separating the counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles while the shaft is in the second position.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 where the shaft is mounted on a movable carrier assembly.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separating means includes means for directing a jet stream at the counted articles, said stream separating the counted articles from the remainder of nested articles.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for holding the wheel in a stationary position when the shaft is in the second position.
 5. Apparatus for counting and separating nested articles or the like as such articles move along a predetermined path, comprising a movable carrier assembly having a homing position from which it moves and returns, said assembly including a hollow shaft mounted on the assembly so that said shaft rotates and can be moved along its longitudinal axis between first and second positions; a counting wheel secured to the shaft and having teeth about the wheel''s rim, some teeth being long relative to other teeth, and when the shaft is in the first position individual teeth engaging individual article lips to count the moving articles, whereby the wheel and shaft rotate; port means in at least one long tooth that is adjacent a short tooth, said port means being in communication with the hollow shaft; a supply of compressed gas coupled to one end of the hollow shaft; means coupled to the other end of the shaft and adapted to move the shaft between the first and second positions; means for monitoring the rotation of the wheel and shaft and, when a predetermined number of articles have been counted by the wheel and when the long tooth with said port means and its adjacent short tooth each engage adjacent article lips, for actuating the shaft moving means to move the shaft from the first position to the second position, whereby said predetermined number of articles have passed the wheel and been counted; means for holding the wheel and shaft stationary while in the second position, whereby the movable carrier assembly leaves home position and moves with the moving nested articles; means for sensing when the shaft and wheel are in the second position, for releasing from the gas supply a jet stream which flows through the shaft and port means and separates counted articles from the remainder of the nested articles, and for actuating the shaft moving means to move the shaft from the second to the first position; and means for returning the carrier assembly to home position when the shaft is returned to the first position. 